Breidden Hill Camp

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a hillfort, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC - AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales). Hillforts are usually located on hilltops and surrounded by a single or multiple earthworks of massive proportions. Hillforts must have formed symbols of power within the landscape, while their function may have had as much to do with ostentation and display as defence.

The Breidden Hillfort is situated upon a distinctive ridge at 365m OD, defended on the west, northwest and north by the steep natural slope. These slopes and some of the interior and main rampart have been destroyed by quarrying, but surviving ramparts lie along the less steep southeastern slopes of the ridge. These consist of a double line of wandering stone-built ramparts. Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence suggest that the hilltop has been exploited since the Mesolithic period.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric defensive organisation and settlement. The site forms an important element within the wider later prehistoric context and within the surrounding landscape. The site is well preserved and retains considerable archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of evidence relating to chronology, building techniques and functional detail.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.